Find Your Adventure

May 2011

May 05, 2011

Cave diving may be the most dangerous of adventure sports. But it's also an area where true exploration, going where no one has gone before, is still possible. This Australian team, led by diving physician Richard Harris, is searching for the source of a river that emerges from a cave on New Zealand's South Island. While in pursuit of the waterway's origin, diver Craig Challen set a new depth record—194 meters or 636 feet. See how the divers deal with the extreme and sometimes deadly conditions in this video.

Text and photographs by Dave Hahn, a guide for RMI Expeditions and First Ascent. In May 2010 Hahn reached the summit of Mount Everest for the 12th time, the most of any a non-Sherpa climber. This time, he is leading a Bill McGahan and his 16-year-old daughter, Sara, on a bid for the summit. Follow the team's Everest expedition in dispatches here.

Must be rest day #1. Still decompressing from the last week on high and not yet laser-focused on the coming week, which will be higher still. I'm tempted to call the past week a good one, since we each came down healthy and with some clarity and confidence as to what will be next, but to be honest, it was a tough week in several ways.

May 04, 2011

The Billabong XXL awards took place last weekend and its big winners reflected the surfers who have forsworn jet skis over the last few years to catch waves the old fashioned way—one hefty stroke at a time. The coveted ride of the year award went to Brazilian paddle surfer Danilo Couto, who rode his fateful wave at Jaws off Maui. Perennial Hawaiian standout Shane Dorioan also nabbed two awards and broke the existing record for “largest wave ridden without a jet ski” by paddling into a 57-foot wave at the same spot.

To put this all into perspective, big-wave surfers started using personal water crafts (PWCs) in the late 90s as a way to catch waves that were considered too large and too fast-moving to catch using the power of two arms. The upper limit of what was considered “paddleable” at that time was around 35 feet. When Jaws first came into the media spot light, it was said to be impossible to ride without the aid of jet skis. How far back to the future we have come. Although PWC assisted surfing hasn’t lost favor among the small group of men and women who chase big waves (read: 30-foot plus) around the world, the last four years have seen a resurgence in eager paddlers due to the overcrowding of big-wave spots with watercrafts, and also a simple change in mind set. By paddling into his 57-foot foot wave, Dorian has added considerable fuel to the fire of what can now undoubtedly be called a full-blown surfing movement.

Most of the award winners, including the Hawaiian siren Keala Kennely (whose barrel at Mexico’s Puerto Escondido was arguably the biggest ever ridden by a women) pledged to give their money to the widow and children of Sion Milosky, their brother in arms who died surfing California’s infamous Mavericks in March. Check out Surfline.com for the videos of the award winning waves.

“As a modern-day adventure filmmaker, I feel pretty lucky, because there isn’t a technological burden,” says Bryan Smith, owner of Reel Water Productions and co-creator of Fringe Elements. “You can go out and buy a relatively good camera for a very cheap amount of money. The burden is really finding your story. It’s about finding the motivation to go out and do it. There are fewer hurdles today.”

Fast, Affordable Video SharingTechnologically savvy adventurers have been attempting to relay adventures online in a video format since the late 1990s. But in the last few years, adventure film has gone through a renaissance. First, fast cable and Ethernet connections spread beyond college dorms and office spaces, allowing for efficient downloading and sharing through YouTube, Vimeo, and like sites. Online outdoor communities grew in size, providing a stage for enthusiasts to share links and spread content through the community.

“All of a sudden there was a way of distributing the videos and finding an audience without having to create a DVD and find sponsors,” says Smith, who began his career by making short Internet films about his adventures kayaking on British Columbia’s wild rivers and coastlines.

“The Internet was this huge exploding space where we could put our material out there,” adds Smith. “I feel lucky to have grown up in the era where the DVD was starting to come second to the Internet.”

Professional Tools for Non-ProfessionalsAdditionally, the hurdles for aspiring filmmakers fell away. Hollywood pioneered the use of digital video, but HD digital video rapidly trickled down to the average consumer. Making a film no longer required film or the painstaking process of editing reel or tape together. Software such as Final Cut Pro made editing more accessible. Canon and Nikon offered up HDSLR cameras in a compact body that allowed enthusiastic adventurers a small setup that was easy to move in the backcountry’s difficult working environments.

For outdoor enthusiasts looking for escapes from workday doldrums or friends sharing content through Facebook, there has never been more free, high-quality content targeted for the adventure crowd. With the technology continuing to improve and the number of filmmakers growing, there shouldn’t be a shortage of content any time soon.

Better Gear at Better Prices“Gear isn’t cheap, but it’s no longer cost-prohibitive,” says Smith. “I think people who make it in the film world, one, have a good eye for images, but two, and probably more important, have a great ear for a story.”

May 03, 2011

By Fitz Cahall, Video still by Byran Smith.

In the age of YouTube, documenting personal adventures has become a pursuit in its own right. When 35-year-old adventure filmmaker Bryan Smith first pulled out a video camera eight years ago, he had no idea what he was doing. Now he’s shooting regularly in some of the most extreme environments on the planet. Here are five pieces of gear that Smith wishes he had right from the start.

1. Basic Audio Kit“Good audio brings a story to life. Even a simple shotgun and lavalier mic kit will go a long ways to improve your work,” says Smith. A decent mic is arguably more important than an expensive new lens. Smith suggests Sennheiser's MKE102-EW lav mic kit coupled with a RØDE NTG3 shotgun mic, which will cost less than $1,000, but make your work feel like a million.

2. Effective Storage “There is nothing worse than fumbling through your gear trying to not drop things or keep them dry,” Smith says. In the field, Smith has to deal with snow, water, sand, and dust. “Every sport you shoot requires a slightly different way of carrying equipment, but a sturdy camera bag is essential.”

3. An Adventurous Laptop"While the a laptop doesn't always travel with me in the field, it's never far away for downloading footage to hard drives," says Smith. Most adventure filmmakers go with a MacBook Pro. It's trim, but has enough horsepower to handle and process large HD files quickly. Apple's Final Cut Pro ($999) has become the standard editing tool for upstart filmmakers. If you're just start out, consider purchasing Final Cut Express ($199). An Apple Care plan is a must—your computer will be subject to the same wear and tear as your camera gear. Pelican Case makes a rugged hard shell, foam-padded case for your laptop for around $100.

4. Sense of Humor“It’s just a matter of time before you have a bit of an epic episode of filmmaking. No batteries, moisture shut down, flat light—it’s going to happen,” says Smith. When it does, laugh about it. “You film adventures because it’s fun. Don't worry about screwing up; just learn from it and get better.”

5. Weight Set “That’s right, you’re going to need to be strong. If you are chasing after athletes who are better than you are in a given sport, you better start training,” says Smith. He’s only half joking. A given day in the field might mean following an elite mountaineer 5,000 feet up a mountain. “To save gym fees, push-ups and pull-ups daily could be substituted,” Smith adds.

6. Pro Tripod“It’s not cheap, but a good tripod is one of the most overlooked pieces of initial gear.” Smith suggests splurging. “Don't spend $300, spend $1,000 or more. A smooth fluid head is one of a filmmaker's most important tools.”